In the second program, the team reveals the fascinating chain of events that made the everyday marvel of quick and safe global travel possible. Coming from the Rolls Royce aero-engine factory Michael Mosley and team tell the amazing story of three more era-defining inventions: the steam locomotive, the internal combustion engine, and the jet engine.

Charles Darwin lived from 1809 -1882. The English naturalist and author of The Origin of Species converted rules and facts into general laws of nature. In this Film Ideas video, explore Darwin's early life, education, marriage, and the development of his theory of evolution.

Learn who Pasteur and Koch were and how they influenced medicine and disease discovery.

The fantasies of dictators, kings, sultans, and warriors are laid bare in this program as Dan Cruikshank explores architecture as a statement of worldly power. Dan visits Nicolae Ceau?escu's palace in Romania, a colossal edifice built by the 20th century's last communist dictator; Marqab Castle in Syria, constructed by the Crusaders to control the area between Asia Minor and the Holy Land; an imposing plantation house in New Orleans that stands in...

England, 14th century. Charles Darwin has a difficult time studying medicine; he is revolted by the inhumanity of the teaching he receives and feels out of place. He dreams of devoting himself to his passion: natural history, to which he dedicates all his spare time. However, reports of his thirst for discovery reach the ears of his father, who tries to persuade him to become a clergyman. Darwin’s uncle, on the other hand, advises him to take a...

1798 was an important year for Edward Jenner, a country doctor from Berkley in Gloucestershire. Already a fellow of the Royal Society after discovering the anti-social nesting behavior of cuckoos, Jenner published a paper documenting his success using the mild cowpox virus to immunize his patients against smallpox. This program examines his life and achievements. Follow in Jenner's footsteps around the beautiful Gloucestershire countryside, the places...

Nikola Tesla electrified the world, but his bizarre vision of the future branded him as a mad scientist. A century ago, Tesla created energy-efficient light bulbs, foresaw today's oil consumption issues, and the need for alternative energies like geothermal and solar power. Can the keys to a brighter future be found in the long neglected writings of this discredited genius?

He introduced the lowly peanut to big business and changed the course of Southern agriculture. He turned soybeans into plastic and carved his place in history as one of the 20th century's greatest scientists. George Washington Carver was a slave set free with a microscope and a vision: this is his story.